It is not every day that the people behind the scenes who ensure that our hotels, facilities and linen are spick-and-span are lauded on such a large scale as the Excellence Awards! Since the past 4 years, the Excellence Awards has been a continuous effort towards bringing together these ‘celebrities’ of the cleaning industry. The beginning of 2016 saw renewed vigour amongst the team behind these unique awards. This year, two more dignitaries were invited to join the esteemed jury behind these awards, bringing the number up to 9! Countless meetings with the jury, revamping the forms and the submission process and several promotional emailers later, the Excellence Awards had a whopping 135 nominations – much more than ever before!

The parameters involved in judging these nominations ensured as smooth a process as possible of finalising the ‘Highly Recommended’, ‘Runner-Up’ and ‘Winner’. Across three days, the jury members went through all the documents provided by the nominees and selected the top three winners. We then went about inviting the entire nominee list to the awards ceremony, which was held at Hall 3, Dubai World Trade Centre on November 15, 2016. Tatjana Ahmed, Housekeeping Manager, Functional Specialist Housekeeping, Grand Hyatt Dubai and Chairwoman of the UAE Professional Housekeepers Group, who has strongly supported the Excellence Awards from conception, said, “It is of utmost importance that we take care of our rank-and-file and supervisory staff, because they are the ones who are in direct contact with customers and have to learn a lot of new technologies that are introduced and stay on top, which is not easy. Most of the nominated individuals were high achievers, and today’s winners have overcome challenges to provide service excellence.”

The glittering ceremony was held in a separate area at the exhibition and was covered in white drapes washed with colourful lights adding a unique ambience to the event, which was an exclusive, invite-only do attended by the jury members, nominees and 20 top exhibitors from MECTW along with the sponsors of the awards. The event, executed in style by the Emcee, saw winner after winner going on stage, saying a few words thanking their managers and companies, and accepting the awards. The icing on the cake was a surprise announcement by Richard Nouira, Managing Director, Kärcher Middle East. He said, “We invite the winners in Housekeeping Room and Housekeeping Public Area categories, to see Kärcher’s technology development and solutions for the cleaning sector first hand, during a visit to our headquarters in Germany. They will be able to participate in discussions and share what the regional industry needs. This is important because they are the end users of the technology we develop for our customers.” Indeed, emotional moments, exhilarated smiles and pride defined this unique ceremony.

“I am extremely honoured to receive such an important award, and I am grateful for this recognition. I have faced challenges that have only strengthened me. This award would not been possible without the inspiration of my seniors and colleagues. I am extremely humbled.” - Murugesh Paika, Public Area Attendant, Crowne Plaza & Holiday Inn Kuwait

“This is one of the biggest achievements in my career. This award taught me something extraordinary - the value of appreciation. I felt valued for all the work that I have put in and was awed by the way I felt. It showed me what a difference appreciation could do to others, especially in this field, which is often overlooked by many. Now I have made it a habit to appreciate each and every one for even the smallest of things that they do. I thank the Clean Middle East Magazine and all others involved, for the award and showing me the way.” - Dhaneesh Das, Housekeeping Supervisor, Pullman Dubai Creek City Centre